qualquer

Qualquer is a determiner and pronoun in Portuguese used to indicate an indefinite member of a class, roughly equivalent to the English "any" or "whatever." It introduces a noun without specifying which particular item is meant and is commonly placed before singular nouns, as in qualquer pessoa, qualquer dia, qualquer coisa.

As a determiner, qualquer does not inflect for gender or number when it precedes a singular noun (masculine or feminine): qualquer pessoa, qualquer dia, qualquer coisa. It is not used before plural nouns in the standard sense; to refer to several possible items within a class, speakers typically use a singular noun with qualquer or use other structures such as “qualquer um” to refer to a person.

As a pronoun, qualquer can stand on its own or be followed by um to refer to an unspecified person or thing within a class. In formal writing, it is common to see the fuller form with a noun or with “um”: Qualquer pessoa pode vencer; Qualquer um pode vencer. In more colloquial speech or on slogans, you may encounter frases like Qualquer pode vencer, but the usual and clearer form isQualquer pessoa pode vencer.

Nuances and contrasts: qualquer implies no restriction within the class, signaling broadness or openness. It contrasts with algum, which points to a specific but unknown item, and with certo or determinado, which imply a definite choice. The choice between any of these forms can influence emphasis and tone.

Etymology: Qualquer is cognate with Spanish cualquier, Galician calquera, and Italian qualunque, all deriving from a Latin root meaning "what kind," later developed as an indefinite determiner/pronoun in Romance languages.